The idea of transitivity: Relations and collaborations Tim Moore, Language and Learning Lab, Swinburne University Glenda Ballantyne, Sociology, Swinburne University

Halliday’s transitivity: a very brief introduction Grammatical transitivity - concerned with the relations between elements in a clause I walked INTRANSITIVE CLAUSE I walked the dog TRANSITIVE CLAUSE

Halliday’s transitivity: a very brief introduction In traditional grammar: I walked the dog SUBJECT VERB OBJECT In systemic functional grammar: I walked the dog PARTICIPANT PROCESS PARTICIPANT

Halliday’s transitivity: a very brief introduction In systemic functional grammar: I walked the dog PARTICIPANT PROCESS PARTICIPANT (ACTOR) (MATERIAL P) (GOAL) The student wrote the essay (ACTOR) (MATERIAL P) (GOAL)

Halliday’s transitivity: a very brief introduction Other examples, other processes The student wrote the essay (ACTOR) (MATERIAL P) (GOAL) The student argued the case that …. (SAYER) (VERBAL P) (VERBIAGE) The lecturer appreciated the essay (SENSER) (MENTAL P) (PHENOMENON) *The essay impresssed the lecturer (PHENOMENON) (MENTAL P) (SENSER)

Halliday’s transitivity: a very brief introduction The student wrote the essay The student argued the case that …. The lecturer appreciated the essay PARTICIPANT PROCESS Material Verbal Mental etc. Halliday: The system of transitivity in language is concerned with representing patterns of experience, “of goings on” and “happenings” in the world….It construes the world into a manageable set of PROCESS types and of PARTICIPANTS.

The use of transitivity in academic skills advising: An example

Student text: What’s wrong here?

Principal transitivity relations: Student text Monet used a blush of atmospheric colour The extremities of the painting were added later [by Monet] Monet explained the finer details of the scene

Principal transitivity relations: Task How readily does one begin dividing the composition into three level Do we see the place as homely Does the perspective make us feel cut off from the water

PARTICIPANT? PROCESS? Two ways to understand some of the problems in student writing Students don’t understand fundamentally the transitivity relations (“pattern of experience”) they are meant to be exploring in a piece of writing These relations are not explored in any substantive way

The use of transitivity in academic skills advising: A recent example from sociology Major assessment: case study (condensed version) The various developments that have shaped modern life have emerged at different times and in different locations. As we have discussed, these include the processes of industrialization, urbanization, secularization, democratization, gender equality, the rise of consumption, the rise of individualism. In this case study, your task Is to illustrate the impact of two or three of these processes on the daily life of a member of your family. In order to gather first hand material, you will need to interview a family member (or other person) who has experienced significant change over the course of their life.

The use of transitivity in academic skills advising: A recent example from sociology Major assessment: case study (cont’d) In the first part of the case study you should outline the impact of the 2 or 3 processes you have selected. You should describe the main impacts each of these features of modernity have had on social life, as well as outlining major arguments or debates arising in the sociological literature. In the other main part of the case study, you should discuss the findings of your interview in the light of the literature you have reviewed. How has the personal life and experiences of your interviewee been affected by these processes? How much do their experiences fit with what the literature has described?

Major assessment: case study (condensed version) The various developments that have shaped modern life … What transitivity relations are involved in this opening clause? ie. What reality is being constructed here?

shaped various developments modern life Transitivity relations in case study task

shaped various developments eg. industrialization, urbanization etc. modern life Transitivity relations in case study task

Major assessment: case study (condensed version) The various developments that have shaped modern life … (ie. industrialization, urbanization etc.) [You should] describe the main impacts each of these features of modernity have had on social life … illustrate the impact of two or three of these processes on the daily life of a member of your family How has the personal life and experiences of your interviewee been affected by these processes ? Other clause examples

impacting on affecting shaping processes developments features of modernity eg. industrialisation, gender equality consumerism etc. modern life/social life daily life of family member/personal experiences Transitivity relations in case study task

impacting on affecting shaping processes developments features eg. industrialisation, gender equality consumerism etc. modern life/social life daily life of family member/personal experience Transitivity relations in case study task How much do the experiences [of your interviewees] fit with what the literature has described?

impacting on affecting shaping processes developments features of modernity eg. industrialisation, gender equality consumerism etc. modern life/social life daily life of family member/personal experiences Transitivity relations in case study task negotiating resisting?

Some reflections: Lecturer GLENDA: I still have only a basic idea of what transitivity means, but since our discussion of it, I have been writing written lectures … in a complex theoretical field, and so have been very aware of trying to convey the ideas in meaningful, non-jargonised way. This has required quite a bit of reflexivity on my part. I think the principle of making the transitive relations between elements clear has been an important part of that.

Some reflections: Lecturer GLENDA: I can’t think how to characterise the collaboration just at the moment, except to say it has transformed and expanded my understanding of what language and academic skills professionals can contribute (guilty of ill-informed prejudices common to academics previously), and that I see this work having a major impact on my teaching. This is particularly so in relation to structuring and content of assessments

Some reflections: ALL practitioner TIM: The collaboration for me has been academically a very rewarding one. It has been interesting reading some of your sociology material (the book), and to find out how some of your sociological interests and concerns have found expression in your teaching practices. For example, your interest in the ideas of ‘agency’ and ‘creativity’ as sociological concepts. About this, you explained how it was important in the work you set for students for them not to be engaged with material in some detached, and abstract way. Rather what’s important is for students always to be able to draw on personal or family experience in some way – though always in an informed way – so as to make the issues and concepts relevant, and also to help shed light on students’ own experience. It was interesting to see just how strongly this notion informed the design of the assignment – this is an idea I will certainly take with me to my work with other academics.

supporting teaching ALL specialist students in their learning Transitivity relations in ALL practice #1 (as adjunct teacher/facilitator)

(seeking to) supporting having an impact on affecting shaping ALL specialist teaching practices of academics in the disciplines Transitivity relations in ALL practice #2 (as academic developer/agent of change?)

exchanging ideas sharing expertise ALL specialist discipline academic Transitivity relations in ALL practice #3 (as academic collaborator) mutual changes in practice